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Saturday, August 5, 2017

CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH K.A. DAVIS'S KATHRYN LANDRY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Kathryn Landry thinks her life is just about perfect. She is the owner of a successful interior designer business in Newport Beach, California, and she has an attentive, supportive husband. But her world comes crashing down when her husband, Neil Landry, vanishes without a trace . . . in a situation almost identical to the disappearance of her father twenty years before.

With her father’s disappearance still a mystery, Kathryn is skeptical that the detective assigned to her case will be able to find her husband. Determined to uncover the truth, Kathryn is plunged into a world of politics, high-priced call girls and wealth. As she begins to search for her husband, a decades-old secret her mother took to the grave threatens to destroy all she holds dear. Caught up in a web of betrayals and deceit, and not knowing who to trust, Kathryn must find a way to survive as she discovers the past has a way of repeating itself.

ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Kathryn Landry owns her own interior design firm, catering to wealthy clients in the Newport Beach, California area. She is married but has no children or extended family. Her husband, whom she met at college, is a freelance journalist.

INTERVIEW WITH K.A. DAVIS’S KATHRYN LANDRY

Kathryn, how did you first meet Kim? It was over eighteen years ago. I crashed into her mind while she was getting a massage and I’ve pestered her ever since then to write about me. The nice thing is, I’ve remained the same thirty-something-year-old woman but unfortunately, my writer has gotten quite gray around the temples and a bit soft around the middle since we first met.

I hate when that happens. Want to dish about her? My writer gets easily distracted from telling my story. I have spent months, even a couple of years at a time, hidden on her computer or in a dark filing cabinet before she visits me again. But I was pretty persistent in letting her know I had something to say.

Good for you. Why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book? While most people looking at me from the outside might think I have it all: handsome husband, a comfortable lifestyle, a successful business, my family has secrets that need to be exposed so that justice can be served.

Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.A horrific wildfire was threatening Detective William’s ranch. It just so happened I was with him visiting a potential crime scene when he got the call that he needed to evacuate his animals. I surprised myself by volunteering to help him . . . I’m not a brave person. In the end, I found out that I am capable of doing the right thing even if it scares me.

Did you have a hard time convincing Kim to write any particular scenes for you? Yes! She is someone who sees everything and everyone with rose-colored glasses. I had to convince her that there are bad people in the world who want to do bad things and she needed to tell the story the way it happened instead of skipping over the scary parts or trying to change facts.What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere?I enjoy my job helping people design the interior of their homes to reflect who they are. It’s not just about colors and patterns but about living spaces and being most comfortable. When I’m not working I’m taking more design classes and learning to relax and spend time with friends.

If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?Oh boy . . . I really shouldn’t kiss and tell but . . . maybe I shouldn’t have kissed a certain someone?

Oooh! Sounds juicy! Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?I have to say I adore my assistant and her husband. They’re kind of like what I envision my grandparents would have been like, if I had gotten the chance to meet them. Detective Williams is a bit chauvinistic, even though he claims he’s not. He needs a strong woman to put him in his place every now and then.

Do you have any secret aspirations that Kim doesn’t know about?I think I would like to have kids and some pets one day. I don’t think she ever envisioned that I’d go that route.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?Sit on the beach with a good book.

What are you most afraid of?Being trapped in an enclosed place. I am quite claustrophobic after getting locked in the trunk of a car playing hide-and-seek as a young child. What’s your author’s worst habit?Ignoring me and ignoring her writing for too long!

If your story were a movie, who would play you?Jennifer Garner

Will you encourage Kim to write a sequel?She says she’s not going to, but my story isn’t completely told yet. I may have a few more secrets worth unraveling.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

K. A. Davis lives in Southern California with her husband, near wildfire country. During the Portola Hills fire in October 2007, she had to evacuate her two young granddaughters, one of whom has Rett Syndrome, as a wall of flames crept towards their home. Thankfully, due to the brave efforts of firefighters, their neighborhood was spared and no loss of life or property occurred. She used that event as inspiration for one of the scenes in her book.

She writes the Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder blog and has had several children’s articles published in Cricket, Nature Friend, Skipping Stones, and the Seed of Truth magazines. K. A. Davis is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.